Overview

• Federal prosecutors charged 48-year-old Grzegorz Vandenberg under a statute banning interstate transport of explosives with intent to kill, injure or intimidate individuals
• Investigators say Vandenberg purchased six mortars and 36 large fireworks at a Lordsburg, New Mexico travel center on June 12 after asking for devices that could be thrown directly at people
• Store employees reported he claimed prior special forces service and even invited a cashier to join his planned operation against officers at the Los Angeles demonstrations
• Law enforcement tracked Vandenberg’s Montana-plated vehicle to Tucson, Arizona and arrested him on June 13, and he remains in custody awaiting trial
• Similar incidents of rioters targeting federal officers were reported in Portland on June 19, and Attorney General Pamela Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have pledged aggressive federal prosecutions